Eye link style conveyor belts have been in existence for some time and are a popular style of belting in Europe. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the eye link conveyor belt 10, 10′ is constructed of small eyelets 12, which may be welded onto a cross wire 13 to form segments 14 (FIG. 1B) generally 4-12 inches in width, which are then cut-down as needed and brick-laid assembled with other components such as reinforcing/support bars 18 (bar links) to form a row of segments and components which are then linked to adjacent rows with hinge point connecting rods 16 (cross rods). The segments/components can be varied in pitch as well as in wire diameter.
These belts have the advantage of an extremely stable top surface and they are durable. They are very open, cleanable and drainable which are good for airflow and food processing. They also have excellent transfer characteristics for top heavy or delicate products. This makes them useful in pasteurizing, drying, frying, cooling, freezing and baking.
Heretofore, the major disadvantages of eye link style belts have been that the belt is constructed of a plurality of segments 14 and components such as reinforcing/support bars 18 that not only make the belt very expensive and time consuming to assemble but also make it more difficult to splice and maintain the conveyor belt in the field. This disadvantage increases dramatically as belt width increases. It also becomes extremely expensive and problematic to vary the surface characteristics of the conveyor belt without adding extreme levels of complexity and cost as well.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the marketplace for an eye link conveyor belt that has the advantages of the prior art but eliminates the costs and complexity for assembly, splicing and maintenance while allowing varying surface/engineering characteristics.